MINSK, 9 July (BelTA) – Belarus is in favor of stepping up cooperation in digital economy matters on the Eurasian continent. Deputy Chairman of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of Belarus Boleslav Pirshtuk made the relevant statement at a session of the General Committee on Economic Affairs, Science, Technology and Environment of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly in Berlin, the press service of the lower chamber of the Belarusian parliament told BelTA.
According to Boleslav Pirshtuk, Belarusian MPs have repeatedly stated it is necessary to overcome economic disunity in the OSCE space and establish bridges between the East and the West. “In our opinion, digitalization has a good uniting potential and can become a priority in the economic and environmental dimension in the future. Interaction in the sphere of digital economy between countries and between different integration structures on the Eurasian continent would contribute to a stronger feeling of interrelatedness of economic space on the continent and the mutual dependence of its every component,” stressed the MP.
Belarus agrees with the approach of the Italian presidency in this regard. Italy believes that digital economy represents a powerful instrument for advancing partnerships in trade, for expanding business contacts, and thus, contributing to mutual interrelatedness and integration in the OSCE region. Belarusian MPs welcome the news that the future Slovak presidency intends to pay attention to digital problems in the OSCE. “Guided by this logic, we've put forward a draft resolution on promoting digital economy for the sake of ensuring economic growth in the OSCE space,” noted Boleslav Pirshtuk. He thanked co-authors of the draft resolution and expressed hope that colleagues would back its inclusion into the final Berlin declaration.
The deputy head of the lower chamber of the Belarusian parliament said that the Belarusian government adopted the policy of embracing digital technologies in economy, state administration, and social sphere more than 15 years ago. “As a result of the consistent state policy aimed at supporting innovations, developing the infrastructure, as a result of considerable efforts poured into forming a competitive IT industry Belarus now occupies decent places in the world ratings that measure the development of information and communication technologies,” he pointed out.
BelTA reported earlier that a delegation of the Belarusian parliament led by Boleslav Pirshtuk is taking part in the annual session of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly in Berlin. The theme of this year's annual session is “Implementing OSCE commitments: The role of parliaments.” The session is focused on the effective legislative measures the member states are expected to take in order to bolster international cooperation and honor commitments with regard to supporting peace and security in the OSCE region. The session will end on 11 July with the election of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly functionaries and the adoption of the Berlin declaration. The document will include three resolutions of the general committees and a number of supplementary resolutions.
